Nigel Hayes backs pep talk to Wisconsin teammates with production

It has been a little more than three weeks since Wisconsin dropped three consecutive games and forward Nigel Hayes was compelled to address his teammates in the locker room asking them to take a deep look at themselves and this season.

It would be over-simplifying to suggest the Badgers have since won five straight because of Hayes’  pep talk, but it can’t be ignored either. The message Hayes conveyed to his teammates Jan. 12 after a loss at Northwestern might not have resonated as well as it seems to have if he didn’t back it up with his play on the court.

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Hayes played the leading role for the Badgers down the stretch Wednesday holding off Ohio State in a 79-68 home win. He scored 21 points and grabbed seven rebounds, including six points in the final three minutes. He also dished an assists to Jordan Hill, who knocked down a crucial 3-pointer to snatch momentum from the Buckeyes late.

Hayes didn’t start well Thursday. He had only three points in the first half and wasn’t much of a factor, but he turned it on in the second half, scoring 18 and serving as a calming influence on his teammates each time Ohio State would make a run. Hayes is averaging 21.8 points and five rebounds during the Badgers’ five-game winning streak.

The Badgers’ winning streak couldn’t have come up a better time because they were running out of chances to save their season after that Northwestern loss. And the season can’t be considered saved yet. Wisconsin needs to keep winning as much as possible over the final month because it had some awful losses earlier in the season.

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Despite the fact the Badgers are playing better basketball of late, it’s difficult to see them conquering the remaining schedule without a few more setbacks at least. They have eight regular-season games remaining with five coming on the road and four of those will be against ranked opponents. Wisconsin is 3-3 on the road this season. The Badgers are 14-9 overall and 6-4 in the Big Ten. If they can win five of the final eight, they should make the NCAA Tournament. If not, it might come down to a run in the confernece tournament, but at least they’re playing at a level these days where Wisconsin fans can actually believe it could happen.

Meanwhile Ohio State was in a very similar position going into Thursday’s game. JaQuan Lyle, who recently lost his starting job, scored 27 points off the bench, but it wasn’t enough to get the Buckeyes past Hayes and his teammates for what would have been Ohio State’s best conference win of the season.

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[Kyle Ringo is the assistant editor of The Dagger on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @KyleRingo